1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the process for making a nutritionally superior peanut butter and the resultant peanut butter that has 25-30% less fat and, contains all the natural nutrients of conventional peanut butter--including a higher protein content and all of the natural vitamins and minerals--but contributed by only non-fat peanut solids. This invention may also replace part of the carbohydrate ingredients with selected fibers, both soluble and insoluble, to increase the fiber content of the reduced fat peanut butter.
2. Background Art
Peanut butter is by far the most important product made from peanuts in the United States. It is a favorite food of both adults and children, especially young children. The attributes of peanut butter include its convenience, flavor, and stability. It is also nutritious and an excellent source of protein.
Regulations govern the ingredients in a product labeled as "peanut butter." The U.S. Standard of Identity for peanut butter, 21 CFR 164,150, requires a formulation having a minimum of 90 percent peanut ingredients with optional ingredients such as salt, sugars, and emulsifiers limited to 10 percent by weight. The Standard also limits fat content to 55% and prohibits the use of any chemical preservatives, artificial sweeteners, vitamins, minerals, flavors, or colors.
The per capita consumption of peanut butter, however, has declined recently as health-conscious consumers have become more concerned about the dietary effects of fat. Peanuts and peanut butter normally contain about 50% fat by weight. Since the U.S. Standard of Identity requires a minimum of 90 percent peanut ingredients, obviously conventional peanut butter has a high percentage of fat. Accordingly, the appeal of peanut butter has diminished as consumers have become increasingly wary of foods that supply a high percentage of the caloric value from fat.
The industry has made attempts to reduce the fat content of peanut butter, such as by the addition of carbohydrates, making either peanut spreads or variations of peanut butter, or modifying the oil phase by the addition of medium chain triglycerides. Some of the resulting products fail to satisfy the U.S. Standard of Identity and cannot be labeled as "peanut butter." Instead, these products are called peanut spreads or imitation peanut butters.
Yokoyama, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,195, for example, teaches a reduced calorie peanut butter product containing from about 15 to about 40% by weight of a solid bulking agent having from 0 to about 3 calories per gram. These products do not meet peanut butter regulatory requirements because the peanut material components are at 62 percent or less. Protein and other nutritional supplements are thus necessary with these products. Furthermore, both of the products use polydextrose and microcrystalline cellulose which require special processing prior to addition into the peanut butter product.
Likewise, Lasdon, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,868, discloses the use of an unroasted, partially-defatted peanut flour that is milled in water, then cooked at a temperature below the boiling point of the water/flour mixture. The end product has a very high water content of 45-55 percent. The product is also packaged while at a temperature of about 170.degree. F. There is only 25-50 percent peanut material in the final product. Accordingly, the peanut product is not nutritionally equivalent to peanut butter or peanut spread. This product also has the drawback of requiring refrigeration. Moreover, the processing steps are less desirable because they are non-conventional in the industry and would require specialized equipment.
Walling, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,919, titled "Composition and Process of Making Fluid, Reduced Fat Peanut Butters and Improved Whipped Peanut Butters", instructs on a reduced fat peanut butter produced using partially defatted peanut solids combined with regular peanuts under high shear mixing conditions. This defatting process is semi-continuous. It is also comparatively expensive. Additionally, the particle size of the milled flour is crucial, requiring 65-80 percent of the flour to have a particle size less than 18 microns. The process also requires substantial reintroduction of peanut oil to produce a flowable product. These processing requirements result in a high product cost. Similarly, Wong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,027, has the same drawbacks as Walling.
A further example of an attempt to produce a low-fat peanut butter is Franklin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,409, in which a reduced-fat peanut butter is made by removing oil from ground peanuts. Oil is preferably removed by centrifuging the ground peanuts until a supernatant oil layer is formed above the ground peanuts and separating the ground peanuts from the supernatant oil layer. The resulting peanut paste is then reground. Maltodextrin and modified food starch then can be added along with salt, butter flavoring, or peanut flavoring. This process is semi-continuous, thus limiting production. The product uses hydrated modified food starch which increased the moisture content creating a questionable shelf life.